Bid for FBI building sets off regional competition

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI’s announcement that is seeking a new headquarters has set off a regional real estate beauty contest.

Maryland’s Prince George’s County, northern Virginia and the District of Columbia are among those making a case for housing the federal law enforcement agency.

The pursuit has turned congressmen from neighboring states into competing pitchmen, spurred newspaper op-eds and required a public apology from an economic development official who disparaged another community bidding for the headquarters

The FBI says its existing headquarters in Washington no longer serves its needs.

The General Services Administration, which oversees federal office space, has received about three-dozen submissions in response to a request for development ideas.

One proposal would have the GSA swap the existing headquarters with a developer willing to construct or provide a new one.